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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Truth. It Hurts.

Mitch McConnell is in the headlines again for saying the odds are against those wanting repeal of Obamacare. “[I]t’s a lot harder to undo something than it is to stop it in the first place,” he said in part.

For once, let’s give McConnell the benefit of the doubt and suggest he is talking about the present Congress, not the next Congress, though in actual context he seems to mean both. Let’s be charitable.

The truth is, I don’t expect Republicans in Congress to be fully committed to repeal next year even if they have Mitt Romney in the White House, a Republican Senate, and hold the House.

We’ve played this game before. And yes, we are being played.

We are being played by a group of Republican leaders who have consistently shown in the past few years to lack the testicular fortitude to do what’s right when it counts — they are the John Robertses of Congress.

Republicans, at this point, are all about drawing lines in the sand against the Democrats only to wipe them away with their feet.

The debt ceiling? Cave.

The continuing resolution? Cave.

Republicans have excelled at theater and not much else. “Oh, pshaw!” you say. “They only control one house of one branch of the federal government. What could they do?”

In February, Mitch McConnell had the option of bringing Jim DeMint’s amendment to the floor of the Senate to force another vote on repeal. He wouldn’t. Why? He didn’t want to make Harry Reid mad.

When the blowback was so great after that news leaked, Americans for Limited Government and other groups demanded McConnell get in line or get out of the way. He folded like a cheap suit and in so doing promised March would be a month of fighting about repeal.

Nothing happened.

So now McConnell says he will force the issue before the election and then make repeal of Obamacare priority number one if the GOP takes back the Senate, but the odds are against full repeal. This is code for Republican leaders, timid as they are and driven by polling, keeping parts of Obamacare instead of doing full repeal and starting over.

The truth is many Republicans like parts of Obamacare. The truth is a number of Senate Republicans were willing to vote back in December of 2009 that the individual mandate was unconstitutional while keeping their names on healthcare legislation by Senator Bob Bennett that had an individual mandate.

The truth is with Republican leaders like we have in both Houses, who needs the Democrats? It was not just Democrats responsible for $16 trillion in debt. Even now, Eric Cantor, Mitch McConnell and the rest are trying to find ways to weasel out of paying down the debt and bring back earmarks.

When Republicans won’t fight on their ground, they just won’t fight. John Boehner has to have David Winston, a pollster, tell him up from down, and Mitch McConnell only does WWE fights — lots of theater, but a predetermined outcome negotiated in advance with Harry Reid that can get both bases fired up while doing as little to advance freedom as possible. Maybe Linda McMahon in the Senate will do McConnell some good.

There is a truth that hurts Mitch McConnell. The truth is, Jim DeMint has now been joined by Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and others. The truth is they see what must be done. Send them men like Ted Cruz to help force McConnell’s hand.

And then there is this. Jim DeMint is parting ways with adding to the Senate Conservatives Fund. In its place will be a Super PAC called Senate Conservatives Action. Unlike DeMint’s prior effort, this Super PAC can take unlimited money. Conservatives with cash can pony up and force Mitch McConnell’s hand.* [Editor's Note: This is misstated based on my misunderstanding. The Senate Conservatives Fund will still exist. Senate Conservative Action will not accept funds to help specific candidates, but will raise money for independent expenditures. Gotta love campaign finance law.]

Let’s be very clear here — voting to repeal Obamacare is not enough. Repealing it is.

COMMENTS

  • http://www.imperfectamerica.com imperfectamerica

    The way you do that is we elect actual conservatives. I suspect that 2012 is going to look a lot like 2010. It would be nice if there were enough conservatives to actually replace him with DeMint.

  • http://redpillreport.net/ RedPillReport

    Spot on, Erick! The problem is…we have a lot of progressive Republicans, and many of them are steering the GOP ship. These spineless politicians are no better than the Democrats. Actually…they are worse because they fly home to their “home states” when it’s election time…they say all the right things, convincing their constituents that they are true conservatives. They then outspend real conservatives and get re-elected…then they fly back to their real home–Washington DC–high five their buddies across the aisle, and revel in their incumbancy until the next election season.

    The primary goal of far too many Republicans is to “get re-elected.” They don’t have the balls to go back and attempt to implement any real change in Washington. Instead, they crouch down, attempting to stay off the mainstream media radar so they can avoid any criticism that might hurt their next bid for re-election.

    It’s time to throw these bums out with the Democrats…and elect real leaders whose primary goal is to fix the mess…even if it costs them re-election. This is why the Tea Party movement must continue to play a significant role in the process. They seem to be the only thing keeping any of the establishment GOP honest.

  • teapartypatriot4ever

    Just listening to McConnell and Boehner is exactly why we the patriotic constitutional conservative American people from every walk of life in American Society, must elect as many Reagan Tea Party Conservative to Congress this 6 Nov, replacing as many of these worthless gutless toothless colluding collaborating progressive Republicrat RINO’s like McConnell, Boehner, Cantor, McCain, and so on, as possible, and put some actual backbone spine into the govt that is supposed to represent and protect the People, against the Obamacrats in Congress, let alone the White House. They only serve themselves by appeasing and colluding with the Obamacratic enemy, compromising every piece of our US Constitution’s Bill of Rights away.

    Now concerning Romney, he will win the election against Obama, not because Romney is so good, who inspires the American People, but because Obama is so bad and we can ill afford Obama to continue his rein of destruction on our Economy, our Financial and Fiscal Solvency, on the US Constitution, on our US National Security, on our Republic and the American People.

    The American people are now at the point of having no patience with any more liberal progressive policies and collusion with the radical far left Obamacratic elements in Washington DC., or elsewhere in the country. And if Romney doesn’t get it, and understand this point of “Mad as hell” and fed up with liberal progressivism, then he will have a rude awakening.

    Make no mistake about it Mr Romney, you might be our Presidential choice because you are the GOP Republican Nominee and our only opposite choice to Obama, because the Republican voters in the primaries listening to your 24/7 negative carpet bombing political campaign ads against Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich during the Primaries, but that’s it.

    The American people will not stand for anymore liberal progressive policies, and will be represented with a new Conservative Majority Congress, which will force your hand Mr Romney in a conservative direction, as you will not be elected with a mandate to be the same old Mass. liberal progressive Governor like you were in Mass., who with collaboration with Ted Kennedy created and implemented Romneycare, the precursor of Obamacare. Romney is just another one of these weak kneed gutless progressive GOP establishment Republicrat RINO’s.,

    To force President Romney’s hand, if elected, to govern conservatively in policy and law, so we must have a majority of Reagan Conservatives in the Senate, as well as the House, period, and nothing less.

  • daniel22

    the old guard GOP such as McConnel and Boehner would simply straighten their act up. Acting is just what they do best if you think about it. They bloviate one way and act another. Right now some of them are scared because some of their buddies (but not enough) have been primaried. As much as I like Arizona I still have a problem with the re-election of John McCain. He was for the Tea Party before he was against it and he has authored and co-sponsored some atrocious bills.
    With what the Romney camp has been doing after the Obamacare ruling dancing around it and whether or not it is a tax along with what McConnel said leaves no doubt in my mind that the RINO’s will do everything they can to keep as much of Obamacare as they can. We will be fed sound bites and photo ops to prove their action on promises just as they had done in the past. It is time for that to end.
    If your congress critter is up for re-election this time around give it some serious thought to be rid of them. If they are using their supposed juice as a reason for re-election just remember McConnel does no want to get Pinky Reid mad. I wonder if that doesn’t short change McConnel’s constituents?

  • politicalqrm

    “John Robertses Republican” : those that lack the testicular fortitude to do what’s right when it counts.. I like that.

    I couldn’t believe that Mitch McConnell actually said that. Considering Romney has been stating he will repeal O-care; it sounds as if he’s going against Mitt on this issue.

    After all the outcry from the American people against this law, for Mitch to utter those words is a slap in the face to us. We won’t forget it..

  • becky5

    The pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies want Obamacare, and played a big part in helping write the bill and getting it passed. That’s why the Republicans won’t repeal it.

  • http://MichaelHarrington.org Michael Harrington

    If Obamacare fails to be revoked I am blaming him first, and others second.

    I make $50,000 a year, 20% will be for removing him. If Obamacare is fully revoked he has no worries, and this is an annual ammount.

    Mitch I won’t put a penny up for you, but you don’t toe my line I will see you out the door. Let us all make a pledge like this, let him see dollar figures he cannot hope to kee.p up with and let’s see him find a new ‘religion’

  • http://hughcpeconjrs.blogspot.com/ hughpecon

    The only thing honest about him is that CON is right in his name. No way will I give him or any of the gutless, spineless, intellectually bankrupt rino’s the benefit of the doubt any more. First I felt like I was kicked in the gut when SCOTUS screwed us. Now I get sucker punched by McConnell.
    We need to come up with some kind of a test for constitutional literacy for anyone seeking office. Or just admit that we do not have a two party system any more. Just one, the republicrats.

  • commonsenseobserver

    But that truth is as relevant as the fact that I am sitting on a chair now.

    His job is still to repeal Obamacare and provide for Obama’s care.

  • partyof1

    How many times must McConnell surrender before the fight, or jab his thumb in the eye of the tea party, or embrace tax hikes, or earmarks, or Obamacare. This guy is a living testament to the corrupting power of incumbency and the need for term limits.

  • commonsenseobserver

    He’s just not a leader. He seems to keep dreaming about his “legacy”.

  • warrior300

    The Country Club RINOS have nothing but contempt for the conservatives and Tea Party people. The RINO leadership knows it will be right back in power come January, even if Republicans control both Houses of Congress and the Presidency. Elect more conservatives is the outcry. Please! Many of these newly minted conservatives who depend upon Tea Party votes will sell out on many issues soon after elected, just like many Freshmen have done since the 2010 Congressional elections.

    The leadership only needs our votes for the election, after that they respond to their corporate interests. Politicians don’t run to serve the people. They run to build their personal power, their personal fortune, and to take care of their cronies.

    Unfortunately, Tea Party members generally are such extreme ideologues in their concern of federal government power that their failure to create a strong in your face platform, like positions on the reinstatement of Glass-Steagall; their failure to end derivative trading, or at least see that absolutely no pensions funds can be put at risk in these casino gambling trades, and no government guarantees at tax payers’ expense be provided when they fail; their failure to introduce and support an amendment that makes Congress subject to every law and program that the American people are subjected to; their failure to seriously introduce and support some type of flat tax; and their failure to support a balance budget amendment makes the entire Tea Party a farce. Politicians won’t seriously support such a program, because it kills the mother’s milk of why people become politicians in the first place.

    It is also the above failures in positioning, that is making this a close election. The Republicans should be winning this election in the biggest landslide victory of all time. Their failure to seriously support such issues, only plays into the fears of the American voter that the G.O.P. is only out to support the “Fat Cats”.

    The Tea Party members blew it when they did not go third party after the 2008 election. If Tea Party views could not attract a plurality of voters over the Democratic and Republican candidates to win most races, then that was an admission that a grossly insufficient number of Americans share the Tea Party values and positions on issues.

    The Tea Party movement increasingly appears to be like the Populist movement of William Jennings Bryan over a century ago. A movement that supported issues of nervous farmers who saw their agrarian ways coming to pass, and were attempting to prevent the changes that were upending their values and way of life. Both these characters, Obama and Romney will continue to support policies that will continue to undermine American sovereignty, even if each candidate may have different ideas on how and with whom that New World Order will transpire.

    It’s no wonder that Progressives can’t understand why Tea Party folk continue to support policies that undermine their own well-being. That is what happens, when any group takes extreme ideological positions. The challenge should be: No more crony capitalism. No more casino capitalism. Let’s get back to a free enterprise system. Only the federal government has the power to break-up the large corporations, force more competition, and let corporations stand and fall on their own incompetence and malfesance. That in my opinion is how federal power should be used.

    Even President Reagan, raised taxes when he needed to, broke up the Ma Bell’s, which made them more competitive and brought down telephone prices. (When has been the last time any Republican President enforced ant-trust laws, when instead merger mania has been the vogue, and “to big to fail” has been the mantra.)

    Reagan deregulated natural gas and saw prices drop 30% to the consumer’s benefit, when left wing economist were screaming that deregulation was for the benefit of the companies and would cause natural gas prices to rise 300%.

    Reagan took on the air controller’s union, and stopped the continual out-of-control salary and benefit increases that were the hallmark of Union negotiations over the previous three decades.

    Reagan further let United Airlines file for bankruptcy and reorganize itself and renegotiate its contracts with the Unions. Guess what, United is still in business today. I can fly from Chicago to New York today for the same price it cost me in the 1970′s. Otherwise, air travel today would cost Americans four to five times the inflation rate from the mid’70′s, which is what we would have with the Obama-type of intervention that sticks the tax payers with the increasingly burgeoning debt, while protecting Union intransigence.

    Of course, none of the above proposals while bantered around by some well meaning conservatives will be a part of the Republican platform, and if by chance even one or two of them are slipped into the platform to ameliorate people like Ron Paul, these planks will then be summarily ignored.

    When an election boils down to Romney being the lesser of two evils, and the Tea Party energy is galvanized in little else than to get him elected and gain control of the Senate. There will be a great deal of conservatives who will be very disappointed when such pyrrhic victories produce broken dreams and promises. Mitch McConnel is a greater threat to the middle class and the conservative cause than Obama could ever be. Nothing is worse than a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and a fox in the hen house.

    Some Republicans argue that Roberts has handed them a strategic victory by firing up the Republican base, but here we have Romney and McConnel throwing water on that enthusiasm and strategy. How much these RINO’s love emasculating the Tea Party people.

    Why are all these billions of dollars being spent by conservatives in this election; to maintain the corporate status quo and to maintain their puppets like the current Republican leadership in place, or are those billions being spent with no forethought to target the leadership and make sure they go down in flames before the next Congressional session?

  • jtlfromfredmd

    the clamor from all of us who have been screaming from the rooftops about this entire fiasco, dead silence emanates from the pharmaceutical and insurance camps. As for McConnell, his appearances on the Laura Ingraham show are a joke. He’s arrogant and puts up a fake front. I would not rely on him for anything at all.

  • DVPTEXFLA

    I think if Republicans win the Presidential race, have control of the Senate and the House, heaven help the republicans if repeal of Obamacare is not done as part of the first budget sort of bill that comes along. If not the people who support the TEA Party principles will be heard. Romney’s polling as President would drop like a rock…Fund raising would begin to dry up…

    The republican party would be in serious trouble. I would go so far as to say suicidal, with a third party being formed.

  • mutantone

    Make all office holders keep to the term limits as stated in the Constitution, that means only two years in the House and Six years in the Senate, they should be limited to just that many years not allowed to make it a life time office as they have been doing to our detriment

  • gmscan

    Add in all the major corporations that provide benefits. They all will say “we have invested so much time and money to comply, you can’t repeal it now.” And most Republicans are more “pro-business” than they are “pro-freedom.”

    That is why they came up with a individual mandate in the first place. It was an alternative to an employer mandate. Republicans didn’t mind mandating the schlubs as long as their business buds were protected.

  • dudette

    most in need of attention from Tea Party types? Like prioritize who we lean on? We must mobilize an effort that names names and then get to work on them. My fax machine and phone lines are already red hot but will not quit.

  • commonsenseobserver

    Pro-life, fiscally-conservative grassroots Democrats, truly moderate independents etc.

    But we can’t reach those without reaching Republicans first and turning them out.

  • standingonthewall

    Job 1 is to get rid of Obama.
    Job 2 is to take the Senate and hold the House.
    Job 3 is to Ditch Mitch and John and their ‘leadership’ team.

  • bs61

    n/t

  • bs61

    Thiis makes me sick.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    I don’t know if that is gonna happen. I will say this Jim Sasser was once poised to take the leadership of the Senate and then got retired by the voters of Tennessee before he grasped it.

  • brojohn2

    As long as people like this are voted into office and then allowed to make a career of being “moderate” we will continue to have big government. Texas is finally getting rid of Kay Bailey Hutchison, we need to elect Ted Cruz. He is in a runoff against another RINO, he needs to be supported and elected as our candidate for Senator.

    Dewhurst is a Demo-publican and has many friends on the left both in Texas and in Washington, he must be defeated. He wanted a payroll tax to be instituted here in Texas. It was of course defeated but not because he didn’t work to get it passed. We need Ted Cruz a true conservative, Pro-Life and Fiscally Conservative.

  • Right Reason

    I do not think that it is a lack of testicular fortitude. They do this because they are just as fond of big, intrusive government as the liberals are – they just want to be in charge of it. They continually play this game; throwing us the occasional scrap of red meat to keep our support so that they get their share of the power. The guys like McConnell are reading the polls. They see the voter enthusiasm on the right. They’re betting that they don’t have to do anything to get our votes other than not be Obama – and so they won’t. Believe me, they’re as eager as the left to take control of 1/6 of the US economy.

  • bs61

    We have a hundred year plan to retake this govt back, just like the Progressives. Patience grass hopper. We can only do so much in a couple of elections.

  • tngal

    Are we pumping out carbon copy Wimpies? They all seem to be saying the same thing. Vote for me now and I promise to pay you back with this vote or that repeal or whatever..and then they don’t pay their tab when the time comes.

  • franklinjr

    …more ?pro-business? than they are ?pro-freedom.?

    truer words I haven’t read yet today. This is worth remembering – and guiding our votes accordingly.

  • jpmhofct

    Rino or “go along to get along” or just been there to long– whatever it is that has allowed the current Republican leadership in the Congress to become so inept there must be a resurgence of aggressive political action from a “CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP” of a majority of “CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS PERSONS in both the Senate and the House.
    If we are not able to achieve this ambitious goal we can not have a very high expectation of significant change from Romney administration. Robert’s decision text makes it clear it is the voters who must effect change in policies such as the Obamacare travesty.
    No action is likely to move to eliminate the growth of government without a CONSERVATIVE CONGRESS.

  • grzmlyk

    I thought you said Roberts did conservatives a huge favor when he abandoned his duty, that it was an example that he played chess while all of us poor conservative schlubs were playing checkers, that this was a conservative coup of unprecedented brilliance that would rein in government for years to come.

    Now you refer to Republican pols who have been “consistently shown in the past few years to lack the testicular fortitude to do what?s right when it counts: as “John Roberts: types.

    I’m confused.

    From where I sit, Roberts is playing go-along-to-get-along like every other good Republican.

    I’d like to know how any conservative (Emmett Tyrell comes to mind) thinks we are on the threshold of a new conservative era in this country when, regardless of who we get into positions of power in all three branches of government, immediately upon touching down in Washington that person proudly suits up for the team that’s playing the Washington Generals to the Democrats’ Harlem Globetrotters.

    It’s over, folks.

  • davenj1

    Mitch McConnell should not be Majority Leader. I am thinking Cornyn, Inhofe or DeMint!!!

  • camurd

    BUT the first thing that has to happen is that the GOP needs to take control of the senate, conservatives or not. Once we control both houses and God willing the White House we can then worry about conservatives.

    This also needs to be a war with two fronts; getting control of both houses and purging the RINO’s and less than conservative folks from the party. It is Time we take back the GOP and make it the party that Protects and Defends the Constitution of the United States. I for one am sick and tired of being called the party that has a big tent and we want everyone to be apart of it, NO!. We want people who believe in the Constitution and that are not trying to fundamentally change anything about the foundation of this country.

  • zollistar

    Running as an unabashed, pro-life CONSERVATIVE Wendy Long won the Republican nomination for Kristen Gillibrand’s senate seat. She beat two other contestants to become the Republican candidate.

    The former law clerk to Clarence Thomas “gets it’ about free markets; limited constitutional government; fiscal responsibility. This is why Gotham Tea Party in New York City (and other New York tea parties) worked hard for Long’s success.

    Long is attractive, articulate, and principled. It would be great to have her in the senate working alongside Ted Cruz.

    Visit Long’s website to learn more: www.WendyLong.com

    To get a sense of her, watch this TV interview video clip: http://preview.tinyurl.com/7edjagf

  • AceInTX

    I remember articles here requesting volunteers and money to help push his rotting carcass across the finish line. and he just barely survived.

    I don’t know what we were all thinking…as bad as 2008 was for us…maybe we’d have been better off in the long term if we’d have lost one more Senatot.

    The good news is…we get our shot to primary McConnell in 2014 along with Little Mrs Lindsey Graham!

  • spinoneone

    is an interesting case in point. We have Tim Kaine running against George Allen. A Faustian choice if ever there was one.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    2014 could be a RINO trip to the woodshed…that is 3 of the most infuriating red state RINO’s all in the same year.

  • Tbone

    He has all the perks he needs just like every other scumbag politician and their “No real world experience needed because I graduated from an Ivy League law school” staff.

  • AceInTX

    nt

  • ceili_dancer

    I remember during the healthcare “fight” Mitch promised to use every parliamentary trick to delay and slow down the passage,… only to do what he has always done, fold up and roll over on his back to get his stomach petted by Harry Reid. I remember Demint wanted to read the entire bill before voting on it, only to be nixxed by Mitch.
    Past performance is always indicative of future performance, and this is just going to be Kabuki if we keep the same “leadership”.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    I agree that taking a vote to repeal ObamaTax/Care isn’t enough; a repeal is the only acceptable end state. I would however like to see a vote forced right now. My reasoning is: the thought of a vote on health care coming up for a yes/no vote on the Senate floor will have Claire McCaskill, Bill Nelson, and Joe Manchin in the bathroom retching their guts out. Roberts did afford us an opportunity to force the vote with 51 Senators saying yeah and even having to vote yes or no to take a vote will have McCaskill, Nelson and Manchin in the toilet puking their guts out. There choice is either vote yes to a tax in a state where Obama’s popularity is at best waning (Florida) or at worst slightly more popular than convicted felons (West Virginia) or vote no on the whole mess.

  • partyof1

    .

  • Finrod

    Until that happens, we will continue to be Charlie Brown having the football pulled away by Lucy (Democrats).

  • acat

    remain in the minority.

    This way, he can give speeches that sound good without ever changing anything… and he keeps his nose in the trough.

    McConnell needs to be primaried.

    Mew

  • acat

    need to be looking for some talent.

    Each of these States is much more conservative than their current Senate representation, a situation that, as Utah proved in 2010, is easily fixed.

    Mew

  • nepanyrush

    I like that implied definition of “pulling Roberts”; i.e., when someone is more concerned about his or her legacy and how his or she is viewed by the media and liberal historians than being principled.

  • Finrod

    They would have been able to start shoving ObamaCare through even before they stole the election for S. Smalley in Minnesota, and Scott Brown wouldn’t have been able to campaign as the 41st vote against ObamaCare.

    As much as I loathe McConnell, we needed all 40-41 Republican Senators in 2009-2010.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    The only solution is to sign McConnell up on the Bennett-Lugar retirement plan.

  • Common_Cents

    total BS.

    How anyone can spin it as being a political gain, all while America is being sunk, is completely beyond me. Especially knowing how weak the GOP leadership is and the history of their lame attempts at making a stand for much of anything.

    Cave, cave, cave. I’ll coin a term and call them CaveMen.

    What are the chances of full repeal? Why the heck should we be spending all our efforts/resources to UNDO crap, there is plenty of other stuff to do. This decision was absolutely terrible.

    A total smack down of obamacare by Roberts would have been 100x damaging to Obama and much much better for America. Yet we have people rearranging the deck chairs cheering that how great this will be for Romney fundraising!

    A total smack down and we’d now be formulating free market responses to solving health care problems, NOT wondering if our spineless RINOS will even pursue repeal.

    Chess my arse. Roberts was playing mental tiddly winks with himself and blew it.

    Spineless RINO’s shirking their duty in DC and looking out for themselves is so easy, even DC CaveMen can do it.

  • Common_Cents

    It’s easy to complain and obstruct a bit. Leading and setting the agenda is actual work.

  • atillathehun

    The truth is that that Erik is correct as usual. The John Roberts brand of Republicans abound throughout the landscape. Those of this ilk weigh the preservation of their image/SCOTUS or career with the preservation of the Constitution and the Republic. More often than not the Constitution and the Republic loses along with the race that they are in.
    Constitutionalists are rapidly becomeing an endangerd specie. Unprotected at that.

  • AceInTX

    We need to get Cruz over the line in TX….vote in November to rid America of the plague that is the Obama Administration…and then I’m going to be looking to TN, KY and SC to see who conservatives should rally to in order to bring down McConnell, Graham and Alexander….oh….and we can’t go to sleep and trust a Romney Administration…we need to be vigilant and like the Minute Men…be ready to ride to the sound of the guns at a moment’s notice to slap down Romney and his statist proclivities.

  • AceInTX

    seriously….I can’t think of anything McConnell has stood and fought for or against that would have had a different outcome had the dems had 61 seats….

    I have no doubt I’m missing something….so…please refresh my memory

  • ateam

    Many young folks hate “the old wisdom” but leadership is not just sayin’ what you’ll do, but doing what you say. Anyone remember the “Contract With America?” Outlined exactly what was to be accomplished in the first 100 days. To quote Emeril, “Bam” done.

    Is it too much to ask a politician to lay out the principles they operate by and then judge their actions against those principles?

    Or will we hear a lot of “well, you just don’t understand…….”?

  • grzmlyk

    Roberts succumbed to Beltway-itis, like they all do.

    It’s one big club – they don’t give a damn about the people who live outside the beltway – well, they do, but only to the extent that they calculate the optimal ratio of how many people they can give goodies to versus how many people’s eyes they can pull the wool over.

    I’m going to vote for Romney, only because I’m sure I’d become physically ill if I even looked at Obama’s name on the ballot.

    But if anybody thinks Romney’s going to do anything to put the brakes on the statist juggernaut, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like you to buy. At best he might admonish us to brace ourselves.

    Even Reagan had to genuflect before the inertial force of a Democrat-saturated government infrastructure (caving to Tip O’Neill on payroll taxes are just one example), which has only burgeoned in the intervening years. Nixon and both Bushes gleefully paid tribute to the progressive leviathan, hoping that somehow the communist political-media complex would ask them to the progressive prom despite the fact that they are the beltway’s ugly ducklings, and none of the cool kids would be caught dead fraternizing with such political pariahs.

    Call me a pessimist, but I choose not to ignore the laws of physics: When a car drives over the edge of a cliff, and it’s in mid-air, I’m thinking the result when it hts the ground isn’t going to be beneficial to the car or its occupants.

    We are long since over that cliff.

  • AceInTX

    I’m in for Cornyn

    Republicans seeking re-election

    Saxby Chambliss of Georgia
    Jim Risch of Idaho
    Pat Roberts of Kansas
    Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
    Lamar Alexander of Tennessee

    Republicans who may seek re-election

    Jeff Sessions of Alabama
    Susan Collins of Maine
    Thad Cochran of Mississippi
    Mike Johanns of Nebraska
    Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma
    Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
    John Cornyn of Texas
    Mike Enzi of Wyoming

    Source Wikipedia

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    She is clearly the most liberal on the list (though in actuality and votes Alexander is close to my undying shame as a Tennessean) but where I go back in forth is unlike Alexander is she an accurate reflection of the people she serves? By “retiring” her for someone more conservative, do we risk electing a Chris Coons or worse yet a Bernie Sanders? I honestly am torn and I am interested in your take.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Republicans chose McConnell to be there leader because he had been hanging around the longest not because he was the best man to lead their caucus (that was clearly Jim DeMint or maybe Tom Coburn).

  • http://conservatisthandbook.blogspot.com cjd87

    I will never under any circumstances give McConnell and the rest of the useless spineless Republican “Leadership” benefit of the doubt. All they are trying to do is buy time to sell us down the river again.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    ?The Supreme Court left President Obama with two choices: the federal individual mandate in ?Obamacare? is either a constitutional tax or an unconstitutional penalty,? spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said. ?Romney thinks it is an unconstitutional penalty. What is President Obama?s position: Is his federal mandate unconstitutional or is it a tax??

    This was the message Fehrnstrom was supposed to deliver and he dropped the ball (or to paraphrase Lloyd Blakefein: ?He didn?t drop the ball- he dropped the ball, kicked the coach in the privates and took a crap in the quarterback?s mouth?). My guess is Fehrnstrom is going to be quietly shuffled to the little kids table.

    The individual mandate is either an unconstitutional penalty or a tax so which is it? Governor Romney’s position is it is an unconstitutional penalty what is Barack Obama’s?

  • conservative_dan

    You’re right. We have to begin by “repealing” guys like McConnell NOW. If the Tea Party in KY could get Rand Paul elected, I’m confident they can get a similar conservative in there to replace Mitchy-poo.

  • naraht

    Of all of the States that Obama took in 2008, the *only* one where an incumbent Republican Senator was re-elected was Maine. The other seven flipped (plus Alaska flipping)…

    Maine is unlikely to end up with a Christine O’Donnell in the general, Maine’s Republican bench is considerably larger than Delaware’s and includes several state-wide elected officials. Take a look at those who tried for the Republican Nomination in 2012.

    On the Dem side, Christine Dill is being thrown under the bus for Angus King (who the National Dems are convinced will caucus with the Democrats) and she won’t be back in 2014. Look at those who were *going* to get it before Angus King made up his mind, Ex-Governor Baldacci and Maine’s two members of Congress. Michaud (who represents the north) is a Blue Dog. I’m not sure that Baldacci or Pingree are at Sanders level, but are certainly likely to stay in the Progressive Caucus.

    Get back to me in December 2013 and I’ll take a guess as to how much pressure on Collins… (And I wouldn’t be surprised if she retires)

  • major

    .

  • dragan

    I am fairly sure that the administrators will now threaten us to block our accounts. I cannot believe that EE would be simply flipping on John Roberts. What part of it dont these people understand

    “RINOS and Roberts are the scum. Far worse than the Dems”

  • zollistar

    ….I plan to do my best to ensure that the word “robertsed” gains currency.

    All those ready to join me in this endeavor, raise your hands!

  • nobozons

    How many times are we going to take being fooled. Romney, Roberts, McConnell, Boenner, Lugar, the two liberal sisters from Maine, Alaska’s RINO, Bush and the fence. A party of sellouts–done with them. For the first time in 50 years not going to vote for it makes no difference there are only the democrats and the democrat suck ups–Republicans to vote for.

  • rabun1016

    Most insurance companies are not any friend of hardworking Americans. It is a lazy man’s business model which, given the lax regulation of the states (which is where it should be – just done more competently), results in no incentive for insurance to hold costs down. The more you pay out, the more you will be authorized in premium to cover your theoretical overhead.

  • gmhunt

    There are Constitutional Conservatives in both houses, but the GOP Leadership in both the House & Senate are RINO’s….who love “big” government and who believe government is the answer to ALL problems………both parties “love” and “demand’ power over the people………..

  • sgtken

    We just don’t have any leaders. Repel the 17th amendment NOW.

  • rabun1016

    The best candidates are not the student bar assn politicians like McConnell though guys like Mitch will always raise their hand to run. We get what we deserve when we don’t try and recruit good candidates. The best ones need to be talked into it. I’m tired of 34 years olds from wealthy families who want to run to “give something back”. Please. Find a truly self made everyman (any profession) with one marriage, a sense of humor, and a degree of modesty, and then marshall the forces to get the candidate elected.

  • warrior300

    I was not aware that Mitch McConnell was up for re-election this year. I have no idea who is running against him, and what that opponent’s chances are of defeating him. Are there big money sincere conservatives willing to put in major big bucks to get McConnel defeated at any cost along with the help of the little guy? Are there Tea Party leaderships who are willing to take on Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, if these two fail to provide the media leadership in making McConnell another Lugar? That should be step one.

    If McConnell holds on to his seat, and if we assume that the G.O.P. wins control of the Senate, House, and Presidency; then the Tea Party needs to galvanize immediately following the election to bombard every Republican Senator in opposition to McConnell from maintaining his Senate leadership seat, and see to it that he is not replaced with any other RINO.

    There are a number of true conservatives that can fill his position, and I would be happy with any of them. Jim Demint, however, would be my hands-down first choice. Along with petitioning and bombarding both houses of Congress over its Republican leadership, if McConnell doesn’t step down immediately, then the Tea Party needs to march on Capital Hill by the hundreds-of- thousands demanding Mitch’s removal along with any House leadership. I don’t trust Cantor in particular.

    There is no doubt in my mind that if a true conservative is placed in the Senate leadership role, this may in itself force the House leadership to behave in a more conservative fashion even if no leadership changes transpire there. The people must act and must be heard at that time, or it will just be more of the same. The Tea Party at that time must scare the hell out of Romney and other RINO senators like McCain that they not dare come out to support McConnell, or be made to pay the price with an embarrassing defeat.

  • cbartlett

    Democrats do not generally do well in statewide races in Texas, so this runoff essentially IS the election. Kay Bailey has been a squish here way too long – please help support Ted if you can so that we don’t get another professional politician RINO in the Senate forever….

  • squeek71

    over 60% of the time. Lindsay Graham has a higher conservative rating than Corker! How scary is that?

    Corker is up for re-election this year, and he has a conservative challenger named Zach Poskevich.

    Zach does not have the TN (establishment) GOP in his pocket (like Corker does) and all the money that comes with that, so if you can spare a few dollars, please donate:

    http://www.zachforsenate.com/

    Most importantly, please spread the word about Zach! Corker needs to go!!

  • AceInTX

    She’s a fifth column liberal who drives makes the caucus leadership…and the policy making aspect of the caucus more liberal…so I tend to vacillate between neutrality toward her as a necessary evil…and total rage at her and damn the torpedoes….full speed ahead in getting rid of her…

  • squeek71

    about Corker’s and Alexander’s voting records:

    http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/morning_call/2012/01/how-often-did-alexander-corker-vote.html

  • AceInTX

    Be still my heart….

  • hidlins

    If you’ve not seen or heard of him go to his website. We need 50 of him that’s for sure!!! Old Mitch – he’s gotta go along with the rest of his pansy-a$$ buddies! www.bongino.com

  • justperhaps45

    If you believe something cannot be done, it most certainly will not be done. If you have put your credibility on the line with an impossibility conclusion why would you prove yourself wrong by succeeding?

    Mitch. Change or GIT!

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Which pretty much means they are average Senate Republicans which is settling for less in Tennessee and South Carolina where we should be shooting for Mike Lee (99%). The entire Tennessee delegation is a disappointment; the highest is Marsha Blackburn at 79%. Phil Roe in Tennessee 1 at 60% (I live in TN 1 – the Republican runs unopposed in the General) is an embarassment. Lamar is sitting at 52% – Dick Lugar was at 63%. With Lugar and Snowe moving on, there really is no Republican other than Susan Collins who compares to Lamar.

    Tell me Poskevich, why should I vote for him; what are his positions on issues I care about. Why should I take a chance on him? Corker isn’t like Alexander where “not Alexander” is enough.

  • uselogic

    n/t

  • acat

    That’s not as crazy as it initially sounds.

    Mew

    (who still thinks Santorum should have challenged Casey Jr in PA, and Bachman or Pawlenty should have gone after Klobuchar in MN)

  • zollistar

    n/t

  • Samsara

    I just finished reading Robert Caro?s ?Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnston?. In it the author describes the split that then existed in the Democrat Party between northern liberals and southern conservatives, and the political skills and intrigue Johnston had to employ to move legislation through the Senate. His success at legislating had long term consequences. The Civil Rights bills and deficit spending for the ?Great Society? eventually turned the southern states red. Republicans now have the same problem that Johnston faced, an ideological split. Liberal Republicans like Romney would be perfectly happy with 90% of Obamacare. They can?t say this openly without widening that split. If McConnell becomes majority leader he will have to walk a fine line, and be given some leeway, if he is going to get anything done. You can?t bulldoze the United States Senate without long term political consequences, as both LBJ and Obama found out the hard way. Sad but true.

  • celador2

    Ron Johnson ran against Seniority and came close to winning a caucus leadership slot. Johnson does not take NO for an answer when it comes to no budget resolution for three years. CRs, raising debt ceiling ad patches is the cozy Senate way. Johnson is not alone in his indignation and desire to step out of the mud and get some work done in an orderly fashion with a budget resolution.

    He is a front man for the tea party Senators who are determined to slow the rate of growth to limit government’s expansion. He also leads by his actions, and may have stronger support than Demint, Paul , Lee. Leading the caucus requires taking the first step and Johnson has.

    In January when they pick leadership Mourdock IN may have joined their ranks and possibly Cruz.TX. Be bold, we have nothing to lose waiting and playing nice. John Roberts wants the court to be friends while he plays John Marshall. Mitch McConnell is the same. Johnson will not aspire to be that kind of Caucus leader like Mitch.has been.

    It is not the Senate as an institution but the constitution that needs be the priority of the next Republican leader. Ron Johnson has that priority in his sights and should run for Senate leader January 2013..

    Mr Johnson will see to it a budget resolution passes.

    As a guest speaker at RS gathering someone should encourage he run for caucus Leader. I think he is ready.

  • warrior300

    bs61, you are dreaming if you think we have generations to turn this country around. Technological changes are developing with such lightning speed that all our political, social, economic, and religious institutions are collapsing under the weight of change. We better begin right now to think outside the box with solutions that get us pass the current statis thinking offered by both political parties.

  • celador2

    Repeal Obamacare must be a leading platform plank in the party convention that the delegates write 2012.

    Health care commercial activity is between doctors, patients and providers and is a personal choice by consumers. To regulate health care private commerce at federal level is beyond that body of government’s scope and authority. Recall the ringing dissent!.

    The platform matters to activists and any candidate that has no respect for it is not worthy of support.

  • ihateliberals

    McConnell and McCain are the leaders of the Liberal Right. Hmmm. while they are Republicans they more often than not vote withthe Democrats. last year alone they voted 65% of the time with the left. They might as well be sitting on that side of the isle. What we absolutely need in congress is a more dedicated house that does not include Boehner as the Speaker and we need to clean House in the Senate and gain at least 10 seats to have a super majority. In order to repeal Obamacare in the senate we MUST have at least 66 votes to even discuss repeal because of a clause in Obamacare put in by harry Reid. Even in the house we have to have a super-majority which would mean 300 seats minimum. This would also be a requirement if Obama should be re-elected because it would take that many to override a veto. Even if Romney is elected the Super majorities will be required. In other words all this per-election promises of repeal are mostly just talk. we are Screwed.

  • Dave_A

    If you want to see a truly horrid mess, let a Senate seat return to being a governor’s ‘atta-boy’…

    The only thing more corrupt than DC, when it comes to appointments, are the various state governments….

    You’ll see governor’s relatives, political backers, etc… The seat from IL literally WILL BE for-sale to the highest insider-bidder…

    And so on….

  • americanviewpoint

    Does the party platform matter? And if so, what can be done to give him the least wiggle room?

  • trackfodder

    I am afraid our Congressmen want to stay alive along with their families

  • bs61

    We do have more technology available to stay informed – not at the hands of the evil commie MSM. I’ve never seen America more informed. Just look at the ratings of the old guard to see how many people are getting the real scoop somewhere else.

    Unfortunately, we can’t rid our govt of the puppets in this election cycle, you are the one who is dreaming!

  • thethinman

    the day after the election is over – there needs to be a new party, a conservative constitutional party formed. legal, with a headquarters and a body, perhaps made up of the distributed Tea Party affiliates. Then those conservatives in Congress can do the famous switch party affiliation and kick start the new party off with a bang. In two years, not four, there needs to be candidates from the new party in ever election, local dog catcher to the US House of Representatives actively seeking election. Failure is NOT an option. The old Republicans can then decide to fold or join the Socialist Democrats, but they will be OUT of power, at best a minor third.

  • gekster

    1. Tell me when a third party has worked out in the last 10 elections.
    (10 being a random # going back 40 years)

    2. If it is such a great idea, why don’t you start it.

    (just to note: advocating for a third party here will shorten your stay)

  • rightlane1111

    There are so many things in that bill that it HAS TO BE undone. For instance…the next bubble is written in there. It has burst once…and getting ready for its second time…NAME; SALLIE MAE….Educational assistance through the government ONLY.

    If they don’t do it…then I guess the people will have to…that means…we go for broke on this…this thing has to go.